Snow plow apparatus

ABSTRACT

A snow plow having a blade formed of two blade segments is disclosed, the angle of the segments with respect to each other being adjustable from inside or outside the cab of the vehicle to which the plow is attached. The blade segments are joined by a novel hinging assembly which allows the segments to pivot freely as the angle is changed. The particular curvature of the blade results in the snow being forced over and out of the path of the plow during snow-removal operations.

United States Patent Kinnunen Aug. 12, 1975 SNOW PLOW APPARATUS3,762,077 10 1973 Henry et al. 37 50 [76] Inventor: Roy W. Kinnunen, 2l18 E. Front FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Ashland, 54806 286,8003/1953 Switzerland 37 42 R [22] Filed: Aug. 3, 1973 Primary Examiner-E.H. Eickholt [21] APP]' N07 385477 Attorney, Agent, or FirmFrederick L.Bergert [52] US. Cl 37/46; l72/802 [57] ABSTRACT l5 IIBL A Snow p ohaving a blade formed of two lade Seg [58] Field of Search 7/4- ,16-502, mems is disclosed, the angle of the Segments with 37/42 42 72/80spect to each other being adjustable from inside or outside the cab ofthe vehicle to which the plow is at- [56] References cued tached. Theblade segments are joined by a novel UNITED STATES PATENTS hingingassembly which allows the segments to pivot 1,867,186 7/ 1932 Soule etal. 37/44 freely as the angle is changed. The particular curva-1,957,lO3 5/1934 Frink i t 37/42 R ture of the blade results in the snowbeing forced over 2,778,126 Shannon 3 37/42 R and out of the path of theplow during snow-removal 3,157.099 11/1964 Ulrich 172/802 Operations3,378 ()84 4/1968 Ulrich 37/46 X 3,670,825 6/1972 Asal et al. 37/42 R X4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures N I I7 29 7 o 20 I0 v I5 t I5 I L 'J' 5? I22 I O n SNOW PLOW APPARATUS BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION bya novel hinging assembly, the blade being of a par- 1 ticular curvaturedesigned to throw the snow up and over the plow and with the bladesegments being adjustable from either inside or outside the cab of thevehicle to which the plow is attached.

Previous adjustable snow plows have included apparatus such as thatdescribed in US. Pat. No. 1,453,811, in which two mold-boards are hingedtogether and capable of being positioned at various angles with respectto each other by means of a cable and push frame arrangement locatedadjacent the blades. Other snow plow apparatus is described in US. Pat.No. 1,997,001, in which the blade sections may be set at various anglesand held in position by bracing struts located on the sides of thetractor. In the apparatus disclosed in US. Pat. No. 2,428,131, arotatable screw arrangement is provided for adjusting the position ofthe snow plow blades with respect to each other. In each of these priorart devices, the operator must remove himself from the interior of hisvehicle and manually operate the equipment to position the snow plowblades.

By the present invention there is provided a snow plow having anadjustable blade, with the blade being adjustable from inside or outsidethe cab of the vehicle by hydraulic or other suitable means. Theadjustable snow plow of the present invention includes a blade in theform of two blade segments of equal length joined by a unique hingingassembly. The blade is provided with a curved configuration which isdesigned to roll the snow over and out of the path of the plow. Thehinged arrangement of the blade provides two blade segments whose anglewith respect to each other is adjustable from either inside or outsideof the cab. Adjustment from inside the cab is provided by means such asa hydraulic system including a source of fluid under pressure, thehydraulic system being operated by a twoway valve inside the cab. Thesnow plow of the present invention is particularly appropriate for usewith trucks or four-wheel drive vehicles.

The blade portion of the present snow plow is easily adjustable from a Vor retracted position, to accomplish such tasks as the opening of roadsand widening of same, to a flat or straight position for clearing largeareas such as parking lots. In the V position, the plow blade has muchgreater strength than it does in the flat position, the plow beingcapable of moving much larger quantities of snow with the blade in the Vposition, since the plow pushes the snow to both sides whilc allowingthe vehicle to which it is attached to move along a straight path. Withthe plow blade in the V" position, the plow is therefore particularlyuseful for the making of roads, opening and widening of driveways,breaking up snow banks and scraping down mats of frozen snow or slush.The flat position of the blade, on the other hand, is especially suitedfor such tasks as the clearing of large areas of snow and the spreadingand grading of sand and gravel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The advantages of the presentinvention will become more understandable from the following descriptionof the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the snow plow of the present invention with theblade segments in the flat or fully opened position;

FIG. 2 is a side view in elevation of the snow plow shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view in elevation of the snow plow shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the snow plow of the present invention, showingthe blade segments in a retracted or V-position;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a second embodiment of the snow plow of thepresent invention; and

FIG. 6 is an elevational view of a motor vehicle, showing a portion ofthe apparatus of the present invention installed therein.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the illustrated embodimentof the present invention as shown in FIGS. 1 through 4, snow plowapparatus 10 is provided for attachment to a vehicle for removal of snowfrom the path thereof. The apparatus 10 includes a plow blade having twoblade segments 14, preferably of steel construction, with the frontportion of the inner end 24 of each segment 14 being provided with aplurality of outwardly disposed spaced annular flanges 34 which meshwith corresponding outwardly disposed spaced annular flanges in theinner end portion 24 of the other segment 14. Insertion of a pin 23 intothe cylinder formed by the meshed annular flanges 34 results in theblade segments 14 being interlocked in a hinged joint 39 with thesegments 14 being pivotal horizontally around the joint in order toallow the angle between the blade segments to be varied,

Welded or otherwise suitably attached to the rear surface of each bladesegment 14 is a housing 16, preferably of steel plate, which iscontiguous with the blade segments 14 and which extends laterally fromthe inner end 24 to the midportion of each segment 14. The inner ends 24of the blade segments 14 with attached housing 16 form an angularconfiguration, when viewed from above, as shown in FIG. 1, with thehinged joint 39 between blade segments 14 as the point from which theinner ends 24 are angularly disposed with regard to each other, when theplow is in the flat or fully opened position. The slot or opening whichis thus formed between the blade segments 14 will, of course, be reducedin size as the blade segments are displaced from the flat position tothe retracted or V-position. The opening between blade segments 14should be of a size sufficient to allow the segments to close upon eachother so as to be angularly displaced to the desired extent. One sizefor the opening which has been used with. good results is that in whichthe inner ends 24 form an angle of 60 with respect to each other whenthe plow blades are in the flat configuration. As shown in FIG. 4, withthe blade fully retracted, the slot between blade segments 14 has beencompletely closed, since the inner ends 24 of the blade segments 14 arein engagement with each other.

formed of angle iron or other durable material, the

frame including two horizontally-disposed longitudinal push bars 12 withlugs 13 for pivotal attachment of the frame to a motorized vehicle. Thepush bars 12 are pivotally connected to brackets 15 which, in turn, arepivotally connected to braces 19 which are attached, as by welding, in acontiguous, parallel relationship with the inner ends 24 of the bladesegments 14 and plow housing 16, the braces 19 extending inwardly beyondthe housing 16 toward the brackets 15 a distance sufficient to allow thebrackets 15 to pivot freely on the inner ends of the braces 19 withoutbeing interrupted by the housing 16, when the angle between bladesegments 14 is changed. Thus, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the brackets 15are substantially perpendicular to the blade segments 14 when the plowis in the flat, fully opened position, while the brackets have theirbraceconnected ends displaced inwardly between the push bars 12 to liedirectly behind the engaged inner ends 24 of the blade segments 14 whenthe plow 10 is in the V- position. Cross bar 21 is fixedly attachedbetween the mid-portions of the push arms 12. The previously describedarrangement of the push bars 12 with the pivotally attached brackets 15and braces 19 allows freedom of movement of the inner ends 24 of theblade segments 14 when changing the angle between segments whileproviding a reinforcing action at the rear of the center portion of theblade when the plow is in operation. This reinforcing action isattributable primarily to the location of the brackets 15 with respectto the blade segments 14 in both the flat and V-positions, theparticular angle of the brackets 15 with the blade segments 14 asdescribed having been found to produce the maximum support for the bladesegments 14 in each position. The relative positions of these variousmembers in the different blade angle configurations is clearly shown inFIGS. 1 and 4. A support member 18 is attached, as by welding, to theouter ends of the push bars 12, member 18 having a vertically inclinedportion for attachment thereto of a chain which is employed in raisingand lowering the plow as described hereinafter. Two plow shoes 57 arebolted to the rear portion of the housing on either side.

A horizontally-disposed side brace 17 is provided between each arm l2and the corresponding extreme end of the plow housing 16, each sidebrace 17 being pivotally attached by pins or other suitable rneans tothe respective arm 12 and to a bracket 58 mounted on the housing 16. Abracket is attached at the mid-portion of each side brace 17 and extendsupwardly to a point of pivotal attachment on a connecting bar 22 mountedon the upper portion of the housing 16. The point of attachment of eachbracket 20 to the housing 16 is preferably directly above the point ofattachment of the respective side brace 17 to the housing 16, in orderto provide the necessary structural rigidity of support frame to blade.Each side brace 17 is provided with a plurality of holes 29 to allow thebraces 17 to be locked into position at various angles by removing thepin connecting the side brace 17 to its respective arm 12, positioningthe brace 17 with another hole 29 over the pin hole in the push arm 12and reinserting the pin.

As previously mentioned, the support frame for attaching the snow plowof the present invention to a motorized vehicle includes a set of pushbars 12 with lugs 13 for pivotal attachment to the vehicle. In order toraise and lower the snow plow, there is mounted on the front of thevehicle 41, as shown in FIG. 6, a rectangular-shaped frame 25 havingwelded thereto a series of horizontal cross-bars 59, the frame 25 beingmounted on the vehicle 41 by means such as nut-and-bolt attachments tothe front bumper system. Mounted on the frame 25 is a lifting device 42,which may be of standard construction, the lifting device including apivoted arm 26 which is adapted to be raised or lowered by an hydrauliccylinder 27. The forward end of the arm 26 carries a nose chain 31 whichis attached to the plow at support member 18. By raising the arm 26, theentire plow is raised by the nose chain 31 so that the plow is liftedclear of the road. Thus the lifting device 42 provides a means ofraising or lowering the snow plow so that the blade may engage the roador other surface when it is desired to remove snow and ice therefrom,while the plow may be raised to an inoperative position when the vehicleis not engaged in snow removal activities. The plow should be raised aninch or more above the ground when the angle between blade segments 14is adjusted manually. It is not necessary, however, to raise the plowwhen the blade segments 14 are adjusted hydraulically. Auxiliary headlights 28 are mounted on the top of the frame 25 and connected byconventional electric wiring to the electrical system of the vehicle foruse in conjunction with the primary head lights of the vehicle.

The plow blade has a curved surface formed in a concave configuration,as viewed from the front, with the curvature of the inner end portion 24of each blade segment 14 having a smaller radius than the curvature ofthe outer end so that the snow will tend to move toward the ends and outof the path of the plow. In addition, the center of the curve extendsfrom the lower portion of the inner end 24 of each segment 14progressively upwardly to the upper portion of the outer end of eachsegment 14. In this way, the snow is diverted upwardly and outwardlyaway from the path of the plow.

Horizontal strips 32 formed of angle iron are welded to the back side ofeach blade segment 14 along the upper and lower edges to reinforce thetop and bottom of the blade. An additional metal strip 61 is welded tothe top of each blade segment 14 and extends upwardly toward the rear atan angle of about 45 to assist in allowing the snow to be thrown clearwhen the plow is in use. Also, a hardened steel scraper blade strip 62approximately 4 inches in width is attached along the lower front edgeof each blade segment 14. As shown in FIG. 3, the blade segments 14 areprovided with a built-up portion 33 adjacent the inner end portions 24of each segment 14, this portion 33 being the outer surface of the slotor opening provided between the inner end portions 24 of the bladesegments 14 in order to allow the blade segments 14 to close upon eachother when the angle between blade segments 14 is varied.

In the embodiment of the present invention as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6,the blade angle is changed by a hydraulic assembly which allows theoperator of the vehicle to adjust the angle between blade segments,14without leaving the cab. As shown in FIG. 5, this assembly includes apair of hydraulic cylinders 36 with the outer end of the piston rod 37of each cylinder 36 being pivotally connected to a respective bracket 38mounted on the housing 16 of each blade segment 14. The inner ends ofthe cylinders 36 are pivotally connected to the push bars 12. Thehydraulic fluid system for operating the cylinders 36 may be of standardconstruction, with a hydraulic conduit 43 and 44 being provided fromeach end of each cylinder 36 and terminating in coupling elements 45 and46 of known construction to allow quick connection of the conduits 43and 44 to conduits located on the vehicle in communication with a sourceof fluid under pressure.

As shown in FIG. 6, the vehicle 41 is provided at its front end with twosets 47 and 48 of couplings at the ends of conduits 49 and 50 extendingfrom a conventional two-way control valve 51 which communicates with asource 52 of fluid under pressure and a sump 53. Two couplings 47 andtwo couplings 48 are required, one set for linking with the conduitsfrom each of the two cylinders 36 on the snow plow. In order to provideuniform operation of both cylinders 36, the conduits 43 attached to theouter ends of each cylinder 36 are connected to couplings 47, both ofwhich lead to conduit 49, while the conduits 44 attached to the innerends of the cylinders 36 are both connected to couplings 48 which leadto conduit 50. The source 52 of fluid under pressure may be a pressuretank as shown, with pressure being supplied by any suitable means, suchas a pump 54 operated by a fan belt 55 running from the engine 56 of thevehicle 41. The valve 51 is positioned in the vehicle so that it will bewithin convenient reach of the operator when he sits behind the steeringwheel of his vehicle. The two-way control valve 51 allows the operatorto vary the blade segments 14 between the V- position and the flatposition by changing the valve from one position to the other. With theplow in the V- position, for example, by positioning the valve 51 sothat fluid pressure is provided through conduit 50 on the vehicle toconduits 44 on the plow, each piston rod 37 is forced out of itsrespective cylinder 36 with the result that blade segments 14 arepivoted into the flat or fully opened position. Changing the position ofthe valve 51 so that fluid pressure is provided through conduit 49 tothe outer ends of the cylinders 36 results in the blade segments 14being returned to the V-position.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantageswill be understood from the foregoing description, and it will beapparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction andarrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the formshereinbefore described being merely preferred embodiments thereof.

It is claimed:

1. A snow plow having an adjustable blade which may be positioned ineither a flat, fully opened position or a retracted V-position for usewith a lifting device mounted on the front end of a motor vehicle,comprisa. a plow blade formed of two curved blade segments,

the front portion of the inner end of each segment being provided with aplurality of outwardly disposed spaced annular flanges which mesh withcorresponding outwardly disposed spaced annular flanges in the inner endportion of the other segment, the two blade segments being joined by apin having a diameter slightly less than the inner diameter of thecylinder formed by the meshed annular flanges of the two blade segments,so that insertion of the pin into said cylinder results in the bladesegments being interlocked in a hinged joint, the inner ends of theblade segments being angularly disposed with respect to each other fromthe hinged joint when the blade segments are in the flat position toform an opening of a size which is sufficient to allow the bladesegments to be adjusted between the flat position and the V-position;

a blade housing secured to the rear surface of each blade segment;

c. a support frame including a pair of horizontal push bars, each pushbar having a lug arrangement for mounting on the vehicle and with thepush bar being pivotally connected to a respective horizontal bracketpivotally mounted on a brace which is secured to the inner end of one ofthe blade segments and the adjacent housing; and

d. means attached to the blade housing for varying the angle betweenblade segments;

the braces connected to the inner ends of the blade segments extendingfrom the blade segments a distance sufficient to allow the brackets topivot freely on the inner ends of the braces so that the brackets aresubstantially perpendicular to the blade segments when the plow is inthe flat, fully opened position, while the brackets have theirbrace-connected ends displaced inwardly to lie directly behind theengaged inner ends of the blade segments when the plow is in theV-position.

2. The snow plow of claim 1 wherein the means for varying the anglebetween blade segments includes a pair of hydraulic cylinders pivotallysecured to the sup port frame and with each of the pistons thereofpivotally secured to the housing of a respective blade segment.

3. The snow plow of claim 2 wherein the hydraulic cylinders arehydraulically connected to a two-way valve located in the cab of themotor vehicle, with the valve being connected to a source of fluid underpressure.

4. The snow plow of claim 1 wherein each blade segment is formed in aconcave configuration as viewed from the front, the curvature of theinner end portion of each blade segment having a smaller radius than thecurvature of the outer end, and wherein the center of the curve extendsfrom the lower portion of the inner end of each segment progressivelyupwardly to the upper portion of the outer end of each segment, so thatthe snow will be diverted upwardly and outwardly away from the path ofthe plow.

1. A snow plow having an adjustable blade which may be positioned ineither a flat, fully opened position or a retracted V-position for usewith a lifting device mounted on the front end of a motor vehicle,comprising: a. a plow blade formed of two curved blade segments, thefront portion of the inner end of each segment being provided with aplurality of outwardly disposed spaced annular flanges which mesh withcorresponding outwardly disposed spaced annular flanges in the inner endportion of the other segment, the two blade segments being joined by apin having a diameter slightly less than the inner diameter of thecylinder formed by the meshed annular flanges of the two blade segments,so that insertion of the pin into said cylinder results in the bladesegments being interlocked in a hinged joint, the inner ends of theblade segments being angularly disposed with respect to each other fromthe hinged joint when the blade segments are in the flat position toform an opening of a size which is sufficient to allow the bladesegments to be adjusted between the flat position and the V-position; b.a blade housing secured to the rear surface of each blade segment; c. asupport frame including a pair of horizontal push bars, each push barhaving a lug arrangement for mounting on the vehicle and with the pushbar being pivotally connected to a respective horizontal bracketpivotally mounted on a brace which is secured to the inner end of one ofthe blade segments and the adjacent housing; and d. means attached tothe blade housing for varying the angle between blade segments; thebraces connected to the inner ends of the blade segments extending fromthe blade segments a distance sufficient to allow the brackets to pivotfreely on the inner ends of the braces so that the brackets aresubstantially perpendicular to the blade segments when the plow is inthe flat, fully opened position, while the brackets have theirbrace-connected ends displaced inwardly to lie directly behind theengaged inner ends of the blade segments when the plow is in theV-position.
 2. The snow plow of claim 1 wherein the means for varyingthe angle between blade segments includes a pair of hydraulic cylinderspivotally secured to the support frame and with each of the pistonsthereof pivotally secured to the housing of a respective blade segment.3. The snow plow of claim 2 wherein the hydraulic cylinders arehydraulically connected to a two-way valve located in the cab of themotor vehicle, with the valve being connected to a source of fluid underpressure.
 4. The snow plow of claim 1 wherein each blAde segment isformed in a concave configuration as viewed from the front, thecurvature of the inner end portion of each blade segment having asmaller radius than the curvature of the outer end, and wherein thecenter of the curve extends from the lower portion of the inner end ofeach segment progressively upwardly to the upper portion of the outerend of each segment, so that the snow will be diverted upwardly andoutwardly away from the path of the plow.